Ramaphosa drawn into DA power play as Steenhuisen faces demotion

Two months into the job, and Geordin Hill-Lewis is already wielding the axe.

It is understood the new DA leader has decided to strip John Steenhuisen of the agriculture portfolio, offering him a far smaller consolation prize, deputy minister of trade, industry and competition.

According to an insider, Hill-Lewis has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting a set of changes to the DA's ministers and deputy ministers in cabinet.

The party's federal council is being briefed on the changes on Wednesday morning.

"We will have a meeting about it this morning," the source said.

"It should be made official after that."

The DA is the second-biggest party in SA's coalition government (the GNU) under Ramaphosa, and holds six ministries and six deputy ministries.

Steenhuisen led the DA for years and was central to negotiating its place in the coalition, but stepped down as party leader in April. 

That followed mounting internal pressure, much of it tied to his handling of the foot-and-mouth disease crisis hitting the livestock sector.

Hill-Lewis, Cape Town mayor, took over from him.

What Hill-Lewis is said to be asking for:

• Replace John Steenhuisen as agriculture minister with Willie Aucamp, currently minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment;
• Move Steenhuisen into the smaller role of deputy minister of trade, industry and competition;
• Move David Maynier, currently Western Cape education MEC, into Aucamp's old post;
• Shift Alexandra Abrahams from deputy trade minister to deputy minister of energy and electricity, replacing Samantha Graham-Maré, who would leave the executive entirely;
• Bring Jack Bloom, the DA's Gauteng health spokesperson, into government as deputy minister of water and sanitation, replacing Isaac Seitlholo; and
• Remove Mimmy Gondwe as deputy minister of higher education and replace her with Yusuf Cassim, currently the DA's Eastern Cape provincial chairperson.

Aucamp has reportedly already been told that, if confirmed, his first jobs would be to settle pending court cases over FMD vaccine policy and to start talks with farming groups about the outbreak.

Hill-Lewis had given Steenhuisen roughly two months after the April leadership change to show progress on agriculture before deciding whether to act.

That window has now passed.

IOL